Hello! Okay, before I even tell you what's going on, I want you to know I am not intentionally doing a two part like in Baker's Dozen. So please, do not accuse me (again) of something I have no intentions of doing (copying).
My reasoning for the two part chapter is because we're ending at Wednesday in this chapter, and we're already at over 10,000 words. Which is more than usual for only a Wednesday, and why I'm splitting them up!
I will start working on the second part tomorrow, but for now here's part one!
Thank you for reading, and if you have any questions please ask me in my tumblr! (onceuponmakeup. tumblr ask with no spaces!)
Please, also, review and let me know how you like it. I haven't been getting much feedback or as much publicity (for lack of a better word...) on this story. Which is somewhat upsetting because it's the hardest one I've done!
So thanks, anyway! Enjoy!
G.
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ATLANTA HIGH TAKES THE FIRST WIN!
The large, proud smile on Regina's face couldn't be helped when she saw that title on the front of the newspaper this morning. With Robin's smiling face and his whole team standing around him, all of them had their fingers pointed up showing as number one. She pulls her phone out and turns the camera on, snapping a shot of the front page. She taps out a message to Robin, adding the picture to it with: look, my boyfriend is on the front page! and adds a shocked emoji to it before pressing send.
She folds the paper up and sets it down on the desk, still wearing that beautiful smile as she stands up. She makes her way to the stairs for Henry's loft, climbing up them and seeing he was still sound asleep. Her smile grew even bigger when she saw him move a little, groaning something inaudible. Sleep-filled eyes are slowly fluttering open and being rudely invaded by the light. "Mom?" He groans, his voice even smaller than usual.
She tip-toes over to his bed, her slippers padding against the carpet while making her way to his bed, sitting on the edge, running her hand along his warm cheek and asks, "Hello, my little prince. Did you sleep well?" Once he finally nods, she's pretty sure he's still halfway asleep. A chuckle escapes her mouth and she taps his cheek playfully, whispering, "Wake up...wake up, wake up, wake up..." being playful with him.
He groans and smiles a little while whining, mommm. She just smiles again and helps him sit up, "What are we having for breakfast?" He asks, rubbing the sleep from his eyes – one hand on each eye and knuckles digging in to the sockets. It has to hurt.
She shrugs, answering, "Anything you'd like. Eggs and bacon, pancak-"
Before she could even finish, his eyes widen and a smile bursts on his face, "Pancakes!" He exclaims.
Nodding, she stands up and tells him it'll be ready in a few minutes. She makes her way down the stairs again and realizes her robe pocket is vibrating. She takes it out to see who it is, and bites down on her lip a little when she sees Robin's face. "Hello, my winning coach?" She answers coyly, a smirk slapped across her lips.
"Why, hello there, winning coach's girlfriend." He teases back, "What are you doing this morning?"
She clears her throat and sets her phone down, putting it on speaker and letting him know that so he doesn't say anything highly inappropriate. "I'm about to make pancakes for Henry." She states, getting a bowl out for the pancake batter.
As she's preparing the batter – eggs, milk, and Bisquick (because she hates to cook, enough, and doesn't want to make anything from scratch) – she carries on the conversation with Robin that somehow ends up with her saying, "Well, you'll have to ask Henry about that. My Sunday mornings are usually his, so you'll need his approval as to whether you're allowed to eat with us or not..."
"Can you give him the phone, please?" He asks. Regina's eyes widen and brows raise when he actually takes it serious, when she was only joking.
That was something she admires about this man, though. He takes Henry into consideration in whatever they're doing. Always makes sure he has a ride from school, to friend's houses, and was always reading to him and even helping with his homework sometimes when Regina would cook dinner. "Ah, sure." She replies, flipping all of the pancakes before going out to the living room to give the phone to Henry. "Someone wants to talk to you." She says, still holding it in her hand and he looks up with furrowed brows.
One brow raises, asking, "Who is it?" as he slowly and almost reluctantly reaches out for the phone, Robin staying quiet the whole time.
She shrugs nonchalantly before answering, "You'll just have to find out for yourself, I don't want my pancakes to burn." and going back to the kitchen, but keeping an ear out for their conversation.
"I hear that Sunday's are yours?" Robin asks, not saying who he is or hello or anything, a mystery for Henry. She smiles because she knows he loves mysteries.
"Robin?" The boy inquires, quickly figuring that mystery out.
She hears Robin answer how did you know? And the conversation keeps escalating from there. Every once in a while, she'll hear Robin whine to Henry, "But I like your mother's pancakes..." (which Regina would take the inappropriate way and have to laugh) and Henry would answer, "If you want to come over, you have to tell me the secret passcode." Robin would answer a few times and Regina could tell that he was just throwing out goofy guesses to keep the conversation going. Henry would say no each time. Though she knows Robin is joking in his replies, Regina was beginning to wonder if there even is a passcode, until she hears a pair of words that makes her smile. "Kingdom Keepers."
"You got it!" Henry exclaims, halfway shocked and halfway happy.
She hears Robin's chuckle on the speakerphone, "Of course I did. It was our first book we finished together, I couldn't forget that."
Regina smiles and nods, remembering it was the first book they had finished together. Even though Regina started him on it, Robin had read the last fifteen or so pages with him the night he came over. It made her heart warm, her stomach flip, and her nose...burn? Shit. "The pancakes!" She hisses, turning the skillet down before they burn even more. She flips them onto a plate quickly, and realizes – thankfully – they're only partially burnt. She'll eat those, just to save Henry the trouble of picking the burnt spots off that he hates.
"So I'll be over soon, then?" She hears Robin ask with a hopeful tone of voice.
She sees Henry nod out of the corner of her eye, "Yep. And bring Madden 12, please...that one is my favorite." He says, whispering the last part.
Now she decides to join in on their conversation, "I heard that." Regina growls playfully, looking in at her son who now has wide, deer in headlights eyes. After she hears their goodbyes, she walks back into the living room and takes her phone. "So is he allowed?"
"Mmhm." Henry says, sitting back down. "We're going to play video games after, too."
Her brows raise, "Oh are you, now? Well, did you make sure he brings another controller so I can play too?"
He gives her the most demeaning look she's ever seen from any ten-year-old; eyes narrowed, head tilted down, arms crossed. "You want to play Madden?" He asks in a confused tone. "Like...a girl...wants to play football video games?"
She shrugs, "I have been practicing on your Madden 11 while you're asleep."
"You what?!"
Her eyes widen, giving him a warning look of you better share with your own mother – the one who bought it for you in the first place. "Am I not allowed?" She inquires, still keeping that expression.
He huffs, "I guess so..."
She rolls her eyes and goes back to the kitchen after texting Robin and asking him to bring another controller, wondering when her little boy grew up so fast. And not only grew up, but grew up to act like her. Acts like her, looks like Daniel. Even if there had been question of whether they had gotten the right baby from the hospital, there was an undeniable answer when she heard his sassy remarks to her and to some others. So sassy, sometimes, that she has to scold him here and there.
Though Regina hasn't ever been the scolding type of mother, she has always made sure Henry got a punishment and a harsh word or two when he needed it. She made sure of that, because she saw both ends of the spectrum with her, her mother, and her sister. While Regina got the brunt of her mother's anger, her sister, Zelena (or Zee, because her sister had hated her name ever since she knew what it was), got the soft, "Dear?" and the halfway loving, "You're lunch is packed for school". Regina never got over the way her mother treated her, that's why she moved far, far away from New York City. She only visited last year because her father was in critical health, but he made it through and she and Henry went back home as soon as he was back at home and resting.
She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a knock on the door. She looks at her watch and realizes that ten minutes have already passed since Henry hung up with Robin, and that is probably him. She ties her robe and makes herself presentable before opening the door, "Hey, honey." She coos, leaning in for a kiss from him.
After kissing her, he walks in. "Mmm...that smells delicious." He admits, sniffing the air like it was the most amazing thing he'd smelled in a long time.
"Thanks." She says, trying to hide her obvious smile when he compliments on her food is always one of the hardest things she has to do. She knows she isn't a great chef, but she's glad she can make him happy with her food.
She can't help but think about the startling fact that he makes her feel like herself inside. He makes her smile, laugh, and he's even made her cry now. Or the fact that having Roland and Henry playing in the front room with Roland's Tonka trucks and Henry's broken iPod, and having Robin pinch her ass between his fingers playfully in the kitchen while she's making breakfast makes them all feel like...a family.
But she tries to not think of that, tries to remember that they've only been dating a little over three weeks, not even a whole month yet. Her feelings for him are somewhat uncontrollable, she's baffled as to why. When she smiles because of him, though, it's a hard feeling to shake off.
By dinner time, they all gathered for a hot, steamy, fresh-from-the-oven pan of lasagna, Regina's favorite dish to make. She has to scold Roland in her gentle tone for standing in his seat, and she watches as Henry pushes his peas to the side of his plate. She looks up at the face connected to the hand that was doing so, and laughs when she realizes it's Robin instead of Henry.
Manners and eating habits of a ten-year-old.
..
…
Monday morning came sooner than she really wanted it to. She has a board meeting today with Tamara Mendell, principal of Atlanta High. She is somewhat nervous, actually, for this. Not one person has told her why the sudden meeting, and if it's just with her and the board or what. Plus, she doesn't even like Tamara and doesn't exactly want to spend even fifteen minutes sitting across from her at a table.
Regina isn't the kind of person that just doesn't like someone off the bat. She does, at least, give them a chance. Tamara is the same. Her first day that she had transferred to the school, they had thrown a little gathering type of thing – teacher style: lazy jazz music in the background, a foil balloon here and there, and nothing too awfully fun. Before the "party" started that day, almost two years ago, Regina was still setting up streamers in the teacher's lounge and trying to make the place look somewhat like a party was going to be thrown there. That's when it happened. Greg walks in, offers help to Regina (who gladly accepted), and Tamara stopped him.
First strike? Yes. It wasn't until Tamara accused her of trying to steal Greg from her, which Regina had absolutely zero intentions of doing. She still remembers arguing with her outside of the lounge in the hallway, "I'm not stealing anyone. I have no time for dirty affairs or relationships, whichever you may think that was. He simply offered to help when no one else did." She had explained. Tamara wasn't having it, and also took away her raise that Regina was supposed to get the next month.
But today, she tries to put all of those stupid quarrels and dirty looks in the back of her mind as she watches her feet, making her way to the conference room. The clicking of her own shoes are driving her crazy at the moment, her thoughts already buzzing inside of her head. She clenches her fists and opens the door, seeing the room empty. She looks at her watch and whispers to herself, "Early as usual." She tells herself, smiling slightly. It was something Regina always took pride in, being early.
She sits and waits about ten minutes before two people came in, Superintendent Belle French and the school's secretary, Ms. Blanchard. "Miss Mills, I see you're early, props to you." The Super says as Mary-Margaret pulls her chair out for her to sit, setting her bag on the table in front of them.
Regina smiles shyly and nods, "If I can't be early or on time it must not be important to me." She states, and to her that was very true. Regina is never late, anywhere she goes she's on time or even early, like today. That's why she leaves twenty minutes early to drop Henry off, so she knows he's never late to school.
Belle nods in agreement, "That's very true, I like the way you think." She states, pulling some papers out of her leather binder, an iPad from her oversized briefcase.
Regina sits quietly and fiddles her tongue around on her teeth, her hands clasped together tightly in her lap and her toes bouncing up and down off of the carpeted floor. She finally breaks the silence with a sigh, looking up at Belle and asking, "So...no one really told me what was happening today. Could you...possibly...fill me in a little?" in a soft tone of voice, not wanting to upset the woman who holds her beloved job in her hands.
The woman shakes her head, never looking up at Regina. "I can't do that, but I can tell you very great things are about to happen for you, Regina. Don't be nervous."
She nods, tries to breathe deeply, but Belle's "reassurance" didn't help so much. But she sits and waits, waits, and waits for about fifteen more minutes before two more people come in. Tamara and Greg. Tamara is wearing very casual clothes, something Regina is relatively surprised to see. "Afternoon," She greets, trying to sound warm but to Regina it simply sounded like nails on a chalkboard, "I'm sorry I was running late...I had one last box to pack and just wasn't going to stop there."
Regina tilts her head to the side, "Box?" She asks inquisitively, making Mary-Margaret's head raise from her paperwork and Belle's eyes widen with a tiny smile.
"Boxes." Belle corrects, "Mr. and Mrs. Mendell are leaving, and we are offering you to take her place as principal, Miss Mills, because you have worked here the longest of any of the staff." She states, making Regina's ivory cheeks blush slightly. "And you do very well with the kids, a student named..." She pauses and looks down at some of her papers, folding her arms and resting them on the table as she bends over a little, "Heather...Heather says that you are the best teacher she's had in a while, and so is Mr. Locksley. But he's only worked here for this semester, and he also is the coach. You, Regina, are very suitable for the job."
"Wait..." Regina says, taking a harsh breath and raising her brows. "You're...offering me..." She stutters, her eyes wide with shock. She's finally being offered her job that she's wanted for three years, since before Tamara ever weasled her way in and stole it before she could achieve it.
"Yes." She says, trying to fathom Regina's shock. "You should've actually been considered last time, but somehow you had gotten looked over. We do apologize for that, Miss Mil-"
"Yes!" She interrupts, completely unintentional; but it was like it had just set in that they're finally offering it to her. "Yes, I'd love to be the principal here. Do I still get to teach my Literature class?" She asks, almost sounds disheartened by her own question, afraid of the answer.
Belle looks at Mary-Margaret, who finally breaks her silence. "You can, but it may just put unnecessary stress on you, Regina."
Regina shakes her head, "I won't have that, I still want to teach. I love being a teacher."
"You can still teach, Miss Mills." Belle intervenes, "But your principal duties do come first, as that is your main job here in the high school." She explains. Her head turns to Tamara, saying you're excused, and she gets up and leaves with Greg. Belle takes some more papers out, and Regina is beginning to wonder if it's bottomless. "I just need you to sign these papers, saying that you've agreed. Your salary will go from-" She pauses again and studies another paper, "From eight dollars and forty cents to twelve dollars and sixty cents." She says.
Mary-Margaret seems to not be able to help her exploding smile, "Congrats, Regina." She finally bursts, smiling even larger.
Regina nods as a thank you, gives a small smile to her and turns back to Belle. Her heart was pounding, her head spinning. A four dollar and twenty cent raise! She thinks of how she can save, starting with saving for a newer and more reliable car. She thinks of the insurance and benefits she'll now get, and she can't help but smile when she realizes she won't have to have a headache every time Henry gets sick and she has to pay for the doctor's trip.
She looks down at her purse that's on the ground next to her feet, seeing Robin's texting her. I picked up your mail today when I brought Henry home...you need to call me ASAP.
Great. Now what's wrong? Just when she is starting to have a really good day, this happens. She's pulled out of her bad thoughts by Belle's voice again, handing her the papers to sign. She takes them and starts putting her name everywhere that is needed. "Your hours will stay mostly the same, except you'll be leaving when school gets out at 2:00 instead of right after lunch."
"That'll do just fine, I can still pick my son up in time from school." She says as she hands over all the papers. She smiles at Belle and nods, "Thank you so much, Ms. French. I've been dreaming of this job for a long time, now. Thank you."
Belle nods back, "It sounds like you've earned it, Miss Mills." She replies as Mary-Margaret nods so vigorously, that Regina's pretty sure her brain may fall out some time soon. But on the bright side, at least she is happy for her.
After all, Mary-Margaret has been here three years now, only two less than Regina. She's been helpful to Regina when she's needed it, by giving her easy time off and working around her hours with the paperwork she has to do. She's (in a way) thankful for her, because without her she would've been stuck at school sometimes while Henry was waiting for her in the school pick-up line.
The Superintendent clears her throat and nods to Regina, saying, "You're dismissed, now. Thank you for being such a good resource to the school."
Regina has to pinch herself under the table, making sure she wasn't dreaming. But then that text from Robin rings in the back of her mind, wondering what is going on there. "Thank you, Ms. French. I will be learning my new job soon, right?"
"You start learning September 15th, exactly a week from now." She states, looking at a calendar app on her phone.
She smiles and nods, standing up and grabbing her things, saying, "Thank you, I appreciate it." still as she's walking out of the door.
Once it's closed, she puts her back against it and lets out a huge sigh, vibrating her lips a little while she's getting her phone out. She takes a deep breath to regain all that air she just put out, dialing Robin's number.
Two rings and he answers, "Hello?"
"Hey. You said I needed to call you?" She asks, trying to keep her hopes up and think of a good thing, not of something bad.
She hears him shuffling around, but it sounds like his scruff rubbing against the phone. "Uhh...yeah, hold on." He says, then she hears a door close. "Okay, I didn't want Henry to hear this."
Her heart has just sunk. What could it possibly be that's unusually disheartening that he doesn't want Henry to overhear it? She's pleased with him, at least, that he's switched rooms and isn't letting Henry get wind of whatever this bad news is. "Spit it out, Robin. What's the problem?" She asks sharply, her patience running thin as she shifts her weight to her other leg, then decides to start walking down the hall anyway.
He clears his throat – a sign in Regina's head that she may want to lean against a wall again. "You received a letter from the apartment complex. And no, normally I wouldn't open your mail at all, but this envelope was red and said open immediately. So I did." He says, the suspense already about to kill Regina and now he waits. Clearing his throat again, she leans against the wall, now, as he starts to explain, "They're saying you have until the end of the week in this building...they're demolishing the apartments."
"They're what?!" She hollers, yelling into the phone so loudly that her voice echoes down the halls. She sighs and turns toward the wall, leaning her forehead against the cool surface. "Robin..." She whispers, getting choked up. She stops for a moment to calm herself down, she is not going to be this weak over this already. "I can't possibly be moved out of that place in what...five days?" She says, doing the math on her fingers (it was never her strong subject). "Yeah, five days. I can't...there's no w-"
"I'll help you, Regina. Don't worry, some of my guys on the team need some volunteer hours and this would be a good way to get them. They're strong, they can lift boxes and carry them down the stairs." He assures, trying to make this situation sound better, she thinks, since he's had time to wrap his head around it already. "Don't worry, lovely, we'll get through it."
She sighs resonantly, "There's no way, Robin, that I can get an apartment by next week. No...it can't. They can't just kick me out like that." She says, her chest heaving with anger from them doing this to her. On a great day like today, they pull something like this where she's going to be stressed out while trying to learn a whole new job. It's very upsetting.
"Actually..." He starts, and she hears paper rustling, "They can. Your lease is up anyway..." He announces, making her day way worse than it ever should've been. She can't believe this, why would she forget about the lease? She asks if he's sure and she hears the answer the doesn't want. "Very sure."
Shit. "Robin...where am I going to live? I just had a really great job given to me as principal and now I-"
"Principal?!" He exclaims, making her pull the phone away from her ear to not deafen her from his yap.
She clears her throat, "You're now speaking to Principal Mills, but that doesn't even matter now because of the fact that Henry and I have no where to live." She says, the anxiety and stress starting to affect her voice, even, getting up into her head and making it pound and throb along with her heartbeat.
She hears a slight grunt of really?, coming from Robin on the other end. "Regina, you can most certainly live with me until you find a new apartment. I mean I would say you could live here indefinitely but I don't think that would be appropriate for Henry or for Roland..." That smile...it was back. He wanted her to live with him...indefinitely. Indefinitely. Oh, the words rang through her head in his deep British accent, her heart pounding and- "Regina?" She hears, snapping out of her thoughts.
"Oh...right." She replies, trying not to sound too awfully shaken up by the whole ordeal. "I...guess that would work. You could just ride with me to work in the mornings and-"
"With you? The woman who has her...whatever kind of metal 'music' turned up so loudly throughout Downtown Atlanta that you had people screaming, and that you didn't even notice the handsome man in the black Ford Mustang staring at you with big eyes a lane over? Hell no, I'll stick to my car." He states, finishing his declaration with a little chuckle of pride at the end, for just schooling the master of sass. "But if you would like to ride with me, that's perfectly acceptable."
She huffs and rolls her eyes, smiling and so glad he couldn't see it. "I'm coming home, Robin. Bye..." She coos, staying on the phone to wait for his answer.
"Goodbye, lovely." He says sarcastically.
She presses the end button, shaking her head in a wow kind of way. Men.
..
…
Ms. Regina Mills,
Thank you for being a tenant on our property for the last five years. We more than appreciate your business with us, but we have sold our apartment complex and grounds to a large company, who plans to demolish the buildings and build something new.
We no longer will be in management of the properties as of September 15th, 2014.
We advise you to move out by September 13th, Saturday, otherwise you may be bombarded by demolition teams and possibly not have enough time to get all of your things out. We are not responsible for any lost or damaged items if that may happen.
Sincerely,
Royal Apartments
Regina huffs as she reads the name. There's nothing royal about these dingy, old apartments. She rolls her eyes and looks up at Robin, the anger still evident in her expression as she waves the paper in front of her, "I can't believe they're just evicting us like this. That's not enough notice." She complains to him, sighing and running a shaky hand through her hair.
Ever since she has lived in Atlanta, ever since Daniel died in New York, ever since Henry was only five, she's lived here with her son. She's made memories – baking five years worth of Christmas cookies, five birthday cakes for Henry (six, if you count the one that she had dropped while getting it out of the oven. Cake was everywhere), five New Years spent with her little boy, staying up 'til midnight just to watch the ball drop. It would all be gone...nothing even left of the apartment.
Her mind wanders back to the day she finally saw the apartment; five-year old Henry held her hand tightly and looked up at her with a little grin. "We're gonna live here, momma?" He had asked in that sweet, small voice that she missed so much. She had nodded, then, stressing over getting moved in and trying to not think of her mother's words from earlier. She regrets it now, not listening to his stories, to his exciting "achievements", and most of all, not making more cookies.
Those were the best memories she would take away from here, the ones that made her smile with her son. And now she can take away the newest memories with Robin and Roland, the ones of them playing video games together on her couch or the ones of them at the dinner table.
"Regina, it seems to me that you'll have plenty of time." Robin asks, "Is there something else that's bothering you?" And Regina can't handle that.
She shakes her head and turns away from him, looking across her apartment from her kitchen, tearing up when she remembers just seeing Henry and Roland on that exact couch making memories. Her apartment certainly wasn't much, but there will be no more memories made right there. "I'm fine." She states simply, putting her hands on her hips and breathing extra deep. "Just stressed."
He shakes his head from behind her, moving a larger-than-normal stride closer and wrapping her in his strong arms. He settles his chin on her shoulder and angles his head slightly, giving her a gentle and scratchy kiss on her jawline. "I know it's hard, Regina. It's where he grew up." He whispers after a short moment of silence.
She feels him grasp on her tighter as she breathes hard again. "It's where I moved on." She admits, starting to get teary-eyed. No...she refuses. Not in front of Robin or Henry. "It's where I...gave those feelings for Daniel a rest. It's where I told you how much I miss him every day...and it's where I've grown." She states, meaning it emotionally and not in the physical sense like Henry.
His head bobs slowly up and down as he holds her, making her feel safe and comforted against his chest. "And now it's time to move on again, to start a new life as principal of Atlanta High, as a mother of an almost teenager," He says, which makes Regina sigh, "And as a part of my life, as well. And Roland's too, when he's here. It'll be a great life, Regina. It's whatever you make it."
She sighs and almost crumbles, almost breaks down to cry but stops. She swallows thickly, shutting her eyes and a tear escapes down her cheek. She pushes herself from his arms and shakes her head, "I need a moment." She says, walking around to the bathroom and locking herself in there.
Leaning against the door, she slides down and curls into a ball with her back to the door. Her face went in her knees as her arms wrapped around her legs, never wanting to exit this bathroom. She feels like a teenager again, crying against her bedroom door when her mother had gotten onto her. She swore to herself the last time she did that that she would never be so vulnerable and emotional again, not in that way.
But here she is, sniffling and letting out quiet whimpers into her skin. Over an apartment. But the knows it isn't just an apartment, it's where her memories were made new. Where she finally had the courage to leave her mother, to leave New York. Where she came home and cried after she finally buried Daniel's urn of ashes.
A knock on the door rattles her from her thoughts, making her jolt up and scoot toward the bath tub. She looks at the lock, making sure it's still turned. "Regina? Please, lovely, let's talk. I don't like to see you sad like this."
His voice sounds so sad, so heartbroken. Was it just because he saw her like this? Was it because she had spoken of missing Daniel again? Or maybe he thought he startled her with the "part of my life" piece of the speech he gave. She isn't sure, now, as she's glued against the cold tub – and she hates not feeling sure. Not knowing the answer. "Robin..." She mutters, shaking her head though he can't see her.
"If we're going to have a relationship, it involves talking to one another. Speaking and communicating, and understanding. And I can't understand you very well from behind the bathroom door, so that's out of the picture as of now. Please, just let me hold you." He pleads, actually seeming sincere and genuine.
That's what her body yearns for again – to be held in his arms like he was doing earlier in the kitchen, to hear his voice close to her body, and to just feel that heat from his skin. She wants that more than anything, but for some reason has a hard time opening up and showing that to him. "Why?" She finally mumbles aloud, "Why do you want me out there?"
She hears him lean against the door, probably his shoulder leaning there and the toe of his shoe touching (she imagines him like this, because he's so cool and calm about it all, like he's known this would happen for a month now). "Because I want to comfort you. And I want to tell you that it's safe with me, and that I'm not going to hurt you and that you can talk about what you're feeling. I have no problem with sitting on this couch in here, maybe sharing a bag of popcorn, and you pouring your heart out to me. Is that too much to ask, Regina? Because I love you and-" He stops, sounding as though he just caught what he said.
Her eyes widen, still full of tears. Her dry lips are parted slightly, looking at the door like it had just grown wings. "You what?" She asks, shock filling her voice.
He clears his throat, trying to open the door again. "Regina, please open up."
"Not until you tell me what you just said." She answers quickly, her tone serious and almost worried. She loves him too, but she doesn't want to sound like a complete fool for telling him that if that isn't what he actually said.
"I said that...I love you."
Her mind can't hardly fathom it, he loves her. Only a month ago she was trying to decide if he was part caveman (and she still wonders, sometimes) and only three weeks ago she was kissing him for the first time in the pouring rain after feeding ducks and being complete idiots. Immediately, the day he ran into her at school, she felt the attraction there. It's like she'd found someone that she'd been searching for mentally. So for that, she stands up and unlocks the door, a tear-stained face being shown to him. "I love you too, Robin." She finally admits in a whisper, more tears falling from her deep brown eyes. She can't explain why she's so, ridiculously, overly emotional, but she is. And she can't stop it, because they love each other. His arms come to her waist and he pulls her to him for a loving kiss, soft and slow like the first one they'd ever shared in the park that day.
As they mutually pull away, their eyes immediately are fixed on each other's. At this point, Regina is glad that Henry had gone upstairs to take a nap on his own, saying he was tired. Because otherwise, she couldn't cry like this in his arms. She wants to say, I'm sorry I locked you out...but just can't find the mind to do it. Instead, she sniffles, saying, "I didn't think you cared this much to listen to me."
His rough hand strokes her soft, ebony hair gently, his other hand rubbing soothing circles on her mid-back. "Of course I do, lovely. If I didn't care, I wouldn't bring Henry home from school, I wouldn't offer for you to move in with me for a while, and I wouldn't offer to even help you move. But I am, and I want to be here for you."
"Why?" She answers, almost immediately regretting it after the words spew from her lips. She's just so flabbergasted that someone wants to listen to her, no one had since Daniel died. She still even has grief in her heart over it, she never got to talk to anyone about it.
"Because behind that teacher mask, the one that you put on to make people think everything is okay, I know it's not. And I see it sometimes when you see Henry or when he brings up Daniel. And I want you to be able to feel like you can talk to me, Regina. Communication – it works." He whispers, now moving his hand from her back to her cheek, rubbing his thumb along her cheekbone.
She gets caught in his eyes, her brows furrowing and her lips curling up and then in, biting at the both of them. She finally nods, whispering, "I'll try." Before kissing him again, with more passion on her end this time. They pull away gently, a brand new feeling filling the both of them. Neither could possibly explain what it was, but it feels like a burning in your stomach, a pounding in your chest, and dizziness in your head.
And she loves the way it feels.
She takes his hand and they walk to the couch together, sitting down and talking for probably three hours (Regina talked, Robin listened). The topics included why she's never opened up, why she moved from New York, and of course – Daniel.
"When I found out I was pregnant, I was really, really happy over it. It wasn't the best circumstances since we were just engaged, but life happens and...it happens." She explains, leaning against his chest. Her body was finally, totally relaxed; her breathing has slowed and her eyes are lazily open. She hadn't been this eased since before Daniel died, but she likes the feeling of it again. "But of course I had to tell Daniel, and he was happy too. He was more of the worrier in the relationship, constantly asking if I was okay, or if I'd been taking my pre-natal vitamins and all that. I was definitely more easy-going back then."
"You?" Robin teases, "Easy-going? That's very hard to believe."
Ow! emerges from his lips as she gives him a playful smack on the thigh. "I was...I guess I took Daniel's trait when I really became a mother and had him in my arms. It's hard not to worry, then, especially being a single mother. I had to worry how I was going to pay my hospital bills, his doctor bills, Daniel's funeral bill...it was all really hard. And I had no one to help me, it was just...me and Henry."
She hears him sigh, his breath warm on her cheek from behind her. "You have me now, lovely. You aren't alone anymore, I can promise you that. Whatever Henry needs help with...I'm here to assist." He assures, starting his lazy rubbing on her legs again. "Does he like football?"
She nods, humming, "Mhmm."
"Does he know how to play?" Is his next question.
She shakes her head, "I never knew how to play very well either." She states, "I played flag-football in high school but I just never had time to teach him."
He smiles and kisses her head softly, her hair hanging on to his stubble. "Well, it sounds like a football lesson is in the plans soon, then. After all, I am the champion football coach." He says sarcastically.
She cranes her neck to look back at him, a demeaning brow raised, "You've won one game. Don't push it." She says, teasing back in that snarky manner that he loves.
He laughs and nods, "But we won. That's the importance."
"No, the importance is that you had fun. Right?" She asks, the motherly side coming out in her as she turns forward again, still leaning against his chest. "Because it's not whether you win or lose, it's about-"
"Yeah, yeah, thank you Mother."
She smirks, resting her head against him. "Thank you, Robin." She whispers after a short moment, "It felt good getting things unsaid off my chest, and I'm glad you're here to listen to me. I hope one day I can listen to you, too."
..
…
Robin went home last night after dinner, begrudgingly and against his will, of course. But he finally agreed, due to Regina's personal rule of no men sleeping in her house with her son at home. She didn't think it was appropriate, but she did miss sleeping against him. They hadn't slept together or had sex since the first time, and that's already been three days ago. Both were becoming overly needy.
She's really missing his warm body as she gets out of the bed at 6:30 AM, more tired than she usually is. She gets dressed, starts her morning as normal, and heads off to the school.
She was unfocused because of thinking about boxes she needs and moving, and also because Henry was feeling slightly under-the-weather when he woke up this morning. And she'd wondered about that yesterday, if he was feeling well, since he went to bed so early (and without his nightly story). But he didn't have a fever, so she sent him to school anyway. She hates, though, when she has to do that. She feels like such a horrible mother for sending her sick little baby boy into a place that's no fun anyway when really, all she wants to do is cuddle him all day. But she knows it's the thing she has to do, whether she wants to or not.
Into the school and past the teacher's lounge, she opens her door to her classroom to see Robin already standing there. "H-how did you get in here?" She asks, furrowing both brows and nervous that she forgot to lock the door yesterday before the meeting.
His devious little grin is just too much for her to handle, "Ah, I'm quite the pro in retrieving things that aren't necessarily mine. Back in my young and stupid days, I never got caught, but I would use my time very unwisely and steal a few things here and there. Your key, was the only thing I've ever stolen from you." He smiles and holds it in the air proudly, "But for good reason," He assures, standing up from sitting on her desk (which she highly disapproves of), asking, "Because I figured you may need a good morning kiss, a hug, and an I love you in person. Yes?" while bringing his hand up to cup her soft, warm cheek.
She was astounded by his amount of chivalry, especially for such a messy, no manners man. "Why, thank you." She says playfully, trying not to act stressed around him. She's found it only makes him worry more, and she doesn't like making people worry at all. She likes carefree relationships – as in she doesn't want anyone to worry about her. She can handle herself.
He reaches down and kisses her as promised, pulling away after a few tender moments. "Here's your key back, m'lady." He says, handing it to her. She takes it with a knowing look, stuffing it in her purse that's already too full, hanging over her shoulder by a leather strap.
She moves away from him, walking over to her desk, setting her things down. She takes out the case with her reading glasses, preparing herself for the day when she feels Robin's stare lingering over her like a cloud. "Can I help you?" She asks, being playfully bitter and rude as she puts the case in her purse, plopping that down on the floor beside her feet.
He leans against the desk, his hands supporting him. She always gets distracted by the defined muscles in his arms – like when they were having sex, or when he throws a football, or times such as now where he's just supporting his body weight. His shoulders raise up and a quick shrug is shown, "Can I not watch my girlfriend get prepared for work?"
"Don't you have a class to be preparing for, as well, Locksley?"
"Ooh, Locksley." He teases, standing up straight and folding his arms over his blue polo. "Are you really that irritated with me, teacher? Or can I stay and wish I could take you against-"
"Robin!" She scolds, putting her glasses on the edge of her nose as she looks up again. "I will not be talked to like that in my classroom."
Eyes roll, weight shifts, "Well then, I suppose we'll just have to step outside beside the door so I can talk as I please." He says, stalking over toward the door. He reaches up for something, and Regina wonders what he's doing. Her question is soon answered by a quick pull of a string, making the blinds fall down over the door and completely close them off. He turns the lock on the door knob, whispering, "I haven't stopped thinking about Friday night, Regina. And every time I think about it, I get ridiculously hard for you." Her eyes widen, her cheeks filling with blush. What is he doing? she wonders, watching as he leans down to take her cheeks in both hands, pulling her up from her chair in a swift movement. Regina doesn't even have time to realize what's going on until she feels strong hand on her firm ass, "Are you going to make me beg?" He whispers, looking into her eyes.
She can't help but bite her lip, looking around as though someone may be in here. Her hands rest on his shoulders lazily as she meets his gaze with her eyes, whispering back, "Robin...we're at work." in a hushed tone, "We could get fired."
"...If we get caught." He says, making a rush of excitement bolt through her. She suddenly feels like a teenager, sneaking around with Daniel behind her mother's back, but this time it was with a man who knew much more of what he was doing, but both of their jobs were on the line. "And I don't have any intentions of doing so, do you?"
She blows out a soft breath through her nose, purposely forcing it more from her stomach as she feels the heat build. Realizing the embarrassing fact of how wet she is. "Not at work, Robin. I don't think it's a good idea...but..."
"But?" He asks, his voice sounding somewhere between wounded puppy and hopeful child.
She smiles and rubs a finger down his neck, past is lobe and down to his collarbone. "How about we take a nice, hot...steamy shower after we pack some boxes tonight?" She whispers seductively, knowing Henry will be gone to his friend's house. That is, if he feels better. And she so hopes he does (for completely selfish reasons, of course) now more than ever. "Henry won't be there."
She barely finished her sentence before he nods, "Please...oh please." He whispers, rubbing his hips against hers with a devilish smile. "This'll be hard to hide all day, you know, having to sit there at the wretched desk and think about you and I, fucking in the shower tonight."
She smiles and brushes her tongue along her lips, "Well, try your best, sweetie." She says in a demeaning, playful way before getting back to her desk and shooing him off to do his own work.
..
…
One box was hardly packed before she feels his hand rub against her ass again (for the fifth time in the last hour), making her jump a little and look back at him seductively. All the curtains in the house are closed, which is unusual for Regina's apartment – but for good reason. They're both stark naked.
She smiles at him, "Wait your turn, there, coach." She says, using the name loosely and playfully as she bends over again to close the box up. The box included the stuff they wouldn't need the rest of the week, like winter clothes for her and the few clothes Henry still has that fit him. "It'll all be yours very soon... patience." She whispers, her tongue clicking against the roof of her mouth. There she is, flirting...again.
He whines, slouching over and tilting his head back, "Lovely, I've been waiting all day. We got one box finished...can't you cut me some slack?" He asks in a hushed tone, standing there in front of her as hard as she's ever seen him. He's been trying to speed her up all day, but she really does have to take her time in packing the things. She rolls her eyes, mumbles something in protest, and he finally just stands against her, rubbing the tip of his arousal between her thighs. "Don't make me beg, lovely."
A smirk fades onto her face as she hears those words, deciding to mess with him a little while she can (before she has no choice, herself). She bends over, strokes his member with her fingertips once, asking, "And why not?" in a low, seductive voice. "Maybe I want you to beg."
He shakes his head, his Adam's-apple bobbing as he swallows thickly, his throat mostly dry. Teeth are gritting, she can tell by the way his temple moves and his jawline is more sculpted than usual. His chin is cocked to the side, and she wonders if he's ever going to reply just when he answers, "Fine." in more of a hissing, I guess you'll get your way tone. Swallowing again, he looks into her eyes passionately and takes a deep breath, his bare chest raising and touching her breasts (a sensation that she adores, honestly). "Regina Mills, I'd really love to take you to your bathroom, make the whole room fill with steam, and fuck you until we both can't stand. Right up against that tile wall, our skin slipping and sliding against each other, my hands gripping at your ass, my-"
"Okay." She breathes, interrupting him with her hand on his chest. Her heart is pounding, the wetness between her legs is undeniably embarrassing for just the little words he's said. But then again, he's hard standing in front of her, has been hard for a while, and has his body pressed against her breasts. She probably has good reason to be aroused, but she won't admit that. Instead, she slides her hand down his arm and entwines her fingers into his, turning slowly and looking over her shoulder in the overly seductive way, pulling him through the apartment and to her bedroom.
They hardly get to the bathroom door before their nails are in each other's backs, hungrily kissing and wanting more from each other as they both try to frantically reach for the doorknob. One of their hands finally get it turned, their body weight quickly opening the door and they fall through the frame. She leads him (because she's the closest to the faucet) by pulling him with her as she walks backward, her left hand coming off his back and her right one sliding into his wiry hair. She finally finds the spout – up, up, there! She turns the knob all the way on, scooting her hand over to the right knob and turning that one just barely. Hot water steams up the room already, and both lovers are glad they already have their clothes off.
Stumbling over the tub's edge, they're finally feeling that burning sensation of the steamy water, her back pressed against the cold – but warming – wall. His hands are already moving down her back, past her ass and just below. He stops there and squeezes, making Regina jolt up into his lips. She can't think straight, her nerves were unsteady between the amazing sensation he's giving her and the scolding water beating down on her skin. Her leg raises without thinking, her heel at his calf and resting there as he grinds into her more. She feels the change in him – it's hungrier and needier. "Regina..." He whispers, taking a harsh breath in as he pulls away. He opens his eyes, hers singeing into his as she looks through the steam, stating, "I can't wait any longer." And that raspy tone kills her, makes a chill run down her spine.
She looks down at his erection, seeing how hard he was and it made her feel better about the wetness. "Then don't." She whispers, keeping her head down and her hands on his shoulders. Suddenly, she feels his hands tighten on her ass as he hauls her onto his waist, the squeak of her skin against the wall making her eyes widen. "Can you hold me?"
He tilts his head forward, raising a brow – making Regina shudder again – " Of course I can. You're like a feather." He assures, his voice still raspy and full of lust. She nods, taking him in her hand and directing him toward her entrance. His hips push forward slowly, moans reverberating throughout the small room and probably so loud, into the bedroom too. She bites her lip down hard, keeping another moan inside of her – bottled up, pounding in her chest. He sees her do this and takes her chin, lifting it up and making her pay attention to him. "Regina, I want you to moan as loud as you can." He murmurs, still holding her chin. The lust was on pause, now he was just loving her.
She nods and looks into his eyes, definitely not used to being able to let her voice show during sex. During her "alone-time" either. She had Henry all the time with her. His hips finally start moving again, his pupils dilating slightly as the friction grows stronger. Her moans are no longer confined, though she feels a bit awkward about letting them all out like this.
Even with Daniel, she'd never been able to moan so loud. She maybe could've a few times, but mostly they were sneaking around her mother or his parents. She didn't want to get caught, and neither did he, so they kept it in.
She's pulled from her thoughts of her embarrassment, though, as she feels his hand cupping her breast suddenly. A shock shoots through her as he starts to hit that spot, and damn- oh! how does he know her so well already? It's like they've been fucking each other for years, like he's known what makes her tick forever. But this is only their second time. And gosh, she can't complain.
That hand of his never stops moving as his thrusts steady out, stimulating her erect, rosy nipple and rubbing just as much as she wants him to. "Keep doing that." She breathes, her head starting to fall down and toward his body due to the pleasure and relaxation. Until, of course, he rubs grabs her ass and makes her upper body jolt backwards, her head hitting the wall behind her with a thud. Fingers dig into his shoulder as she moans loudly.
"Like that, lovely. Keep doing that." He says, mimicking her words on accident. "Keep- oh...keep moaning, Regina."
She no longer feels awkward, no longer shy, no longer embarrassed. The moan that comes out of her vibrates her chest on the way up, and Robin couldn't help but kiss her while her lips are open like that. His tongue darts through and finds hers, but she just moans again. She feels her stomach tighten, her walls start to flutter and oh! ohhhh...there they are. Both, at the same time. Moans still vibrating off each other's mouths as his cum drips around his member, quickly being washed away by the hot water.
After a moment of silence, he slips out of her and carefully stands her on her feet. Her legs are wobbly, but she uses him to hold on to. "Damn, Robin..." She whispers, looking down and still breathing heavily. How could this man know her so well? Did she accidentally write a user's manual? How to Have Sex with Regina Mills: For Dummies? Surely not. As she falls closer to him, he's reaching for the soap and pouring some on his hand.
His grin never fades as he rubs his palms together, lathering them and getting them soapy. "You're amazing." He exhales, rubbing his soap-covered palm on her shoulders, down to her arms, her stomach and breasts.
She's enjoying the feeling so much – the one of being cared for and taken care of – that she forgets to even reply to him. Instead, she lets her body melt on his, her upper body completely limp and her head resting against Robin's shoulder so she can stand up. She feels him at her ass again, rubbing the soap as gently as he can while still cleaning everything nicely. His hand slips around to her front side, slipping between her thighs again and touching where he'd just fucked her. Damn – her body shudders again just at his touch.
"You okay?"
She nods, keeping her eyes shut and her head against his shoulder, moaning something for a yes. She spreads her legs a little more, her feet shoulder-width apart, now, letting him get better access. He cleans her good, rinses her off, and she does the same for him.
Making her way down his stomach, up his sculpted sides and arms. She just can't fathom how hot he really is, especially while fucking her. All of those muscles pop out even more, his veins showing as well. She loves the way he looks when he's giving himself to her, and she's going to look forward to it for a very long time. She rinses him off just as he did for her, carefully and lovingly.
This whole time, they'd stayed mostly silent. It wasn't quite uncomfortable, but nothing was needed to be said except what actually was. After they both are clean again, she turns the faucet off (again, because she's closer) and steps out of the tub with him. They both take towels, drying off. "I can't believe how beautiful you are even in the shower." He admits, rubbing the cloth against his face, making his scruff stick out a lot.
She chuckles lowly and shrugs, "I never knew how handsome you'd be with hot water running down your skin, either, so it looks like we both learned something new." She teases.
After they're both dry, he joins her under the covers for the first time in her house. Hands are found drawing lazy circles on the other one's body, his on her back and hers on his chest as they lie so close that not even a paper could fit between them. Their heads rested tiredly on the pillows, nothing has been said in quite a while. Regina finally breaks the silence, whispering, "Thank you for being here...through all of my emotional drama." somewhat guiltily, "I had no one to ever talk to about...you know..." She continues, not wanting to say his name, "And then you came along, offering to listen. You were a life saver these past few days...and I can't thank you enough."
His smile grows throughout her statement until it's a toothy, small one. "You definitely just did thank me, lovely." He replies, his hand now up in her hair and gently tangling and untangling his fingers through it. "And I always want to be the person you can talk to, most definitely." He confirms, looking down into her eyes.
She bites her lip at the thought of "always" and the way he said it. "When you say always...what do you mean?" She asks, going out on a limb and hoping her guesses aren't wrong. Hoping that he intends on staying with her for a long, long time.
He smiles again and kisses her forehead, she can tell he's getting sleepy by the way his eyelids stick to each other when he blinks. "You know what I mean." He replies, holding her close to him before his eyes close completely and his breathing starts smoothing out.
She really doesn't know what he means, but she doesn't want to push him for an answer, especially not when he's this sleepy. Consequently, her mind doesn't rest much as she's trying to sleep, wondering what he really meant.
..
…
Wednesday morning, she smiles as she realizes it wasn't just a dream. She wears the smile all day, even after packing a few boxes with Emma, Henry, and Robin at home.
"Okay, what is it, Regina?" Emma asks as she sits on one of the boxes, watching Henry and Robin walk out of the door to get some fast-food (since her utensils are already packed away). "You've had that smile all day. And I know you, you don't normally wear a smile for longer than ten minutes unless it's something Henry did that made you proud or you just got laid." She says, mostly teasing on the last thought.
But Regina's eyes widen, "You weren't here last night!" She says defensively, clearly not realizing the joke.
Emma's eyes widen to match Regina's shocked expression, "You really got laid?!"
"Don't act surprised!" She snaps.
Emma throws her hands into the air, "Hey...I'm just glad you finally did. You were getting a little tense." She says, making Regina wonder why in hell she keeps this woman around.
Later on, after the last box was being packed, Robin picked up the frame that held the one and only family photo that Daniel was in with Henry.
"Regina? You want me to pack this away, or keep it out so it doesn't get broken?" He asks.
She smiles with her back turned to him, thankful that he's still thoughtful about her ex-fiance. Normally, most men would want their girlfriend to not talk about their ex's, but Robin doesn't mind at all. Another reason she likes him so well, "You can pack it away...I'm..." She pauses to take a deep breath, to make herself follow through with her next words, "I'm moving on. New chapter, like you said."
..
...
Leave me your thoughts, please! If you want to be a critic (which I gladly accept), please be nice! Thank you! And also, don't forget to ask me anything about TTH on my tumblr! PLEASE! Desperation.
Thank you!
G.